Motor neurone disease

Also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in many parts of the world or Lou Gehrig's disease in America (Lou Gehrig was a famous baseball player who lived with MND), motor neurone disease is an umbrella term for a group of diseases in which the nerve cells – neurones – become progressively faulty over time. Neurones control the muscles that allow us to eat, speak, dance, walk, swallow and breathe. Many people can live for a long time with MND but the average life expectancy is 2 to 3 years from diagnosis.

Initial symptoms are mild and generally reveal themselves with a loss of muscle function in the hands or feet. Then, the degeneration of nerves leads to the loss of muscle function throughout the entire body. Its progression can be slow or rapid and varies significantly from person to person. Lung capacity can be compromised which means breathing becomes difficult and even swallowing can be affected. Most people with MND retain all senses (sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch) their intellect and memory.

There is no known cause(s) or cure for MND. Statistics illustrate how nebulous our knowledge of the disease is: while 5 – 10 per cent of cases are familial the other 90 – 95 per cent are a mystery. While MND does take several forms, ALS is the most common.

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